The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing plug-type contacts, in particular press-in contacts, which have a connecting body and two limbs which adjoin the latter and define a press-in region for reception in a contact receptacle. The invention furthermore relates to a corresponding plug-type contact, in particular a press-in contact, and to a component assembly comprising at least one such plug-type contact, in particular a press-in contact.
A press-in contact and a method for manufacturing a press-in contact are known from WO 2005 122 337 A1. The known press-in contact comprises a contact body and two limbs which are formed as a single piece therewith and are formed by means of non-cutting machining, wherein a separating operation and an expansion are provided in order to form a press-in region. The two limbs form a point at which a separating gap is provided.
In a similar manner, DE 202 18 295 U1 discloses a contact element for printed circuit boards, having a pin part which is intended for pressing into a bore in the printed circuit board and has two approximately parallel arms which are formed in pairs so as to be movable toward each other counter to a resetting force.
Press-in connections, in particular press-in contacts, of a general type are adequately known in the prior art and are suitable in particular for producing electric contacts having small transition resistances. The connections can be manufactured rapidly and cost-effectively and, given correct configuration, production and installation, can ensure a high degree of reliability and a long service life. It is known to provide press-in contacts with deformable shape elements which are intended to be deformed as far as possible in a defined manner during the installation of the contact and are intended to provide a certain contact force or retaining force.
Press-in connections make it possible to at least partially substitute, for example, integral bonding methods, for example soldered joints. Press-in connections can be customarily produced by forming both a non-positive component and a positive component. In the case of the press-in contact and/or the associated contact receptacle, it is possible to produce at least minimal deformations which can contribute to increasing the retaining force and to an enlargement of the contact surface.
However, it has been shown that known press-in contacts can have tolerance fluctuations caused by the production which, in turn, can be reflected in the large degree of dispersion in installation forces and/or contact forces of the joined connections. This may firstly lead to an insufficiently large contact force being producible, and therefore the desired reliability of the connection is not provided. Furthermore, in this arrangement, an increased transition resistance and/or a reduced contact surface between the press-in contact and a contact receptacle may be produced.
Conversely, i.e., for example, if an impermissibly high joining force is required for the installation of the press-in contact, which may also lead to an increased contact force, components may be damaged during the installation of the press-in connections. This may also reduce the reliability and service life of the connection. The above-described disadvantages are more apparent the higher the tolerance requirements imposed on the press-in connections are. However, increased tolerances may be required in order, for example, to be able to obtain a miniaturization and/or an increase of the packing density, i.e., for example, of the number of connections per unit area. Requirements of this type may arise, for example, in the field of vehicle engineering, in particular electric mobility, in which frequently high currents flow in order to transmit high powers at comparatively low voltages.